The Unexpected
by Dandelions On Fire
Summary: The Weasley children were told there was an Unbreakable Vow that forbade their parents to talk about one particular matter regarding the Order of the Phoenix. But no matter how hard they thought about it, they could have never expected what was revealed to them that day. [Rewritten and revised version in chronological order of my story "The Unexpected". Severus/OC– Fred/Another OC]
1. The Unexpected

**The Unexpected**

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><p><em>love is more thicker than forget<br>more thinner than recall  
>more seldom than a wave is wet<br>more frequent than to fail_

_it is most mad and moonly  
>and less it shall unbe<br>than all the sea which only  
>is deeper than the sea<em>

_love is less always than to win  
>less never than alive<br>less bigger than the least begin  
>less littler than forgive<em>

_it is most sane and sunly  
>and more it cannot die<br>than all the sky which only  
>is higher than the sky<em>

_..._

E. E. Cummings

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><p><strong>PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE PROCEEDING:<strong>

**Disclaimer:  
><strong>**This is a story based off the characters and story in the books created by J. K. Rowling, therefore I don't own either. However, I do own whatever ideas and characters that appear in this story and were never mentioned by the author or never appeared in the books.  
><strong>

_**- In this story, bolded sentences on chapters will mean that particular line is spoken in Portuguese. -**_

**[****[**_**The next paragraphs may contain light spoilers; read at your own risk**_**]]**

**As opposed to what may seem due to the large amount of times I will use expressions such as "Jesus Christ" and "Oh my God" in this story, I am not religious and neither are most of the characters I created. **

**If you didn't know, I have previously uploaded what I like to consider the first draft of this story, and that will always remain available. However, I don't recommend reading the original version of **_**The Unexpected**_** if you haven't yet, because this one will be better written (I hope) and a few scenes will be either removed or modified.**

**My original story had 30 chapters, and they had a messy arrangement. That's why this story - as opposed as the other - will be in chronological order and it will have many more chapters (that won't have any consistence in lenght whatsoever). I don't know how long it will take me to update, but I will try to do so as often as I can and updates will never be less than 1k words. If I'm not clear enough, let's say that one chapter is 800 words long. Because it's shorter than 1k words, another one will be posted right after it.**

**ALSO****: This story is not beta-read. This means it's going to have mistakes anyway, especially because English is my second language. Because of this, I encourage you to correct me (if you want to) when you find any grammar mistakes. Any constructive criticism is highly appreciated.**


	2. I: Beginning

Please review if you can!

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><p><strong>I<br>**_Beginning_

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><p>Severus Snape was not a man known for being patient, gentle, or nice. But it's well known that rules always have their exceptions, and his exception consisted of two specific women who happened to be the most important people in his life; those whom he loved the most.<p>

...

Juliana was first.

She met him on his last year at Hogwarts. She was an exchange student from Brazil who as soon as she got there, began to get treated like everyone's new favorite toy. He found that special treatment utterly annoying and absolutely idiotic; just because she wasn't from there didn't mean she deserved everyone's undivided attention.

He didn't know she felt exactly the same.

She got sorted into Hufflepuff, which became the main reason he decided to completely ignore her. She, on the other side, could not bring herself to not think about him. Once she laid her eyes on him, she knew every other boy in the school had become irrelevant.

They never shared classes and for that he was grateful. It was not entirely because of _her_ and how annoying he found the way she was being practically worshipped by her housemates, but because he never liked Hufflepuffs. They were weak, dumb, and absolutely disposable. He never saw the point to that house apart from the fact that it reunited all the garbage other houses didn't want. For him being sorted into Hufflepuff was worse than being sorted into Gryffindor; it meant you just weren't good enough. Added to that was the fact that he could not walk through a hallway without listening someone talking about her, which made him be aware of her existence when he wasn't interested on it.

Of course it didn't take long to Juliana to realize the treatment her house received. But above any other house, the people in Slytherin were always making fun of them and treating them as if they were dirt. She was angry, yes, but in no little time she learned to ignore them like all her housemates did.

It may have sounded cliché, but they were just not worth her time.

...

The first time they talked was in a greenhouse. Juliana loved spending time there because it reminded her of her home. Education in Brazil was very different, and she liked to think that all this was a big adventure. For starters, they didn't use a wand. Kid's magical abilities showed up when they were little and they usually started their magical training when they were about five years old, around the time they were supposed to start preschool.

Another big difference was the fact that they were very close to the "muggle" society (God, she _loathed_ that word), and they studied their school subjects as well. She was so used to consider magical and non-magical people as equals that the concept that it wasn't like that on this place was very hard for her to completely understand.

On the opposite side of the greenhouse entrance, bowl on her hands, she was carefully working with a plant. That's why she didn't hear him enter, and he didn't hear her speaking until he had already started walking to where she was, still oblivious to her presence.

"**You are so pretty. I love how they take care of you here. I promise I'm only taking one, that's all I need.**" Her voice was low and sweet, as if talking to a small child, and he walked faster until he finally found the source of the sound. She was carefully removing one petal from what looked like a small red flower_._

And she was _talking_ to it.

Why would she talk to a plant? Was she stupid?

"What are you doing?" Severus asked slowly, almost without realizing it. He didn't even know what had made him be bold enough to even try to talk to her, but he couldn't help but be curious. If she was actually talking to a plant she had to be more of an idiot than he assumed when she got sorted.

Said thought was only reinforced when he paid attention to her messy appearance: her tie was being used to keep her hair from falling, she was barefoot and her shirt was rumpled and out of her skirt. For a second Severus thought she could pass for a homeless muggle.

At the sound of his voice, she jumped and brought her hand to her chest.

"Jesus, you nearly gave me a heart attack." She tried to joke but he didn't laugh, making her roll her eyes. "I'm allowed to be here, I have a note." She said before taking a piece of parchment out of her pocket and waving it with her hand in front of his face. He didn't realize he had moved closer.

"I didn't mean that, I mean why were you talking to a plant?" Her eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened.

"You're joking right?" His serious face showed that he wasn't, and she frowned. "Aren't you Severus Snape? Professor Sprout told me you were good at Potions, and her best Herbology student. I guess you're not _that_ good." She whispered mostly to herself with a dry laugh and turned again to her bowl, picking it with the rest of her stuff.

His face quickly morphed into disbelief and he barely resisted the urge to scream at her that _she was as stupid as he knew she'd be._ She put her shoes on and tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. They were really close now, and her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to pop out of her chest.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" He questioned gritting his teeth.

"First." She said removing his hand from her arm and freeing herself, even though for some unknown reason he didn't want to let her go. "If you ever grab me like that again I swear I'll make you regret it." She hissed dangerously, looking at him dead in the eye. He took a step back once he realized how close they were, and instantly looked at her with disdain.

"Second..." She added and took a deep breath, the angry look beginning to disappear from her face. "And just because I'm a good person and I know you're excellent at potions... and _yes_, I may have been just trying to piss you off before..." She said sounding a bit annoyed while searching on her bag for something, while Severus looked at her with a confused frown. "Umm... no, no, not this one, no…" He quickly noticed she was talking to herself. "Aha! Here we go." She said smiling as she pulled a book from her bag. "This is the only book I have in English that actually has some of what we learn in Brazil. I have tons of others that have the same things but they are on Portuguese, so you can keep this one. And before you ask: No. They can't be translated by any of your spells." She tried to hand him the book but he wouldn't take it, so she left it on the table. "I have to go, it's getting late. Read it, you'll see it probably has knowledge you've never heard of. Oh, and the answer to why was I talking to a plant is there." She said tapping the cover of the book twice with her index finger and smiled at him before leaving.

The entire situation had him so confused that he spent a few good minutes just standing there, trying to make some sense out of it.

_What had just happened?_

He looked at the book for some time before hesitantly putting it inside his bag and leaving, the original reason for his visit to the greenhouse completely forgotten.


	3. II: Progress

Hello everyone! Here's the second chapter for you. But before, I'd like to thank _**oynixfalls, AnnieAC, LightsAmongTheStars, kissesfromchelsea, nightworldangel **_and_** FonzFan **_for the follows and favorites! You are amazing.

And please remember that even though reviews aren't necessary for me to update, feedback is **great** and very important to me.

With that being said, let's begin!

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><p><strong>II<br>**_Progress_

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><p>The second time they met was in the library.<p>

There was a Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw that day, so neither of them was interested. As opposed to the rest to the school it seemed, because the place looked completely desolated.

On his first year, Severus had found a semi-hidden place on the very back of the library; it was a section where the books were mostly unused so now it was always empty. There was a big comfortable couch and some tables, and he could be on complete silence and peaceful solitude. He had never told _anyone _about this place, and as far as he knew, he was the only one aware of its existence.

That day however, there was a _slight_ change on his routine. When he was getting closer to his place, he heard some noises. There were never noises, so he carefully looked past one of the bookshelves and found a girl sitting on his couch. And not any girl, it was the Hufflepuff exchange student. He resisted the urge to scoff and settled for rolling his eyes and walking to her.

She was too immersed on her book to notice him approaching, so the sound of his deep cough made her jump.

"Is it always going to be like this? I don't like getting scared that much..." She said looking up at him with a smile.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He asked roughly and she rolled her eyes, completely unfazed by his rudeness.

"Reading. I thought it was pretty obvious." She said before going back to her book.

"You cannot be here." He insisted.

"And why would that be? And _please_ give me the pleasure of a detailed explanation." She said dramatically, looking up at him again with her eyebrows raised and a sarcastic smile curving her lips.

Severus was furious with Juliana for being there, for invading the place _he _had found for _him and him alone,_ but knew that the answer _'__Because I found this place and it's mine and it's the only place where feeling alone doesn't make me miserable'_ that popped up on his mind was not one to say out loud, let alone to her. Or at least he thought he did, because one second later he realized he actually had said it out loud because he wasn't really thinking straight. Another second later, his mind was working at an impossible speed to find out how to get out of the situation he had just brought himself into. She was going to laugh at him, of course. She was going to tell everyone. He was going to be humiliated once again, everyone was going to think he was an idiot and it was going to be his fault.

That's why he was surprised, to say the least, when he saw how fast her smile disappeared and how sorry she genuinely looked, as if she actually had done something wrong. She opened her mouth but no sound came out at first, and when it did, she realized she didn't know what to say.

"I… I— I'm _so _sorry. Oh my God." She rubbed her forehead, not daring to look at him and feeling extremely guilty, even though she hadn't really done anything to feel that way. "I didn't— I mean... uh... I'll leave, don't worry." She spoke quickly, picking up her stuff as fast as she could. "I'll leave you alone now." She said to him as she swung her bag on her shoulder, but before turning the corner and disappearing from his sight she stopped, pondering if she should do what her heart was telling her to do. She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly, almost certain that this wasn't a good idea. She took a deep, encouraging breath and turned to look at him, clutching the strap of her bag tightly for support. She had a decided look on her face; that confused him. Severus still stood in front of the couch, unmoving. He swallowed, hoping she couldn't see through his emotionless façade.

"I know you can't stand me. I'm not stupid. I guess one reason it's because I'm in Hufflepuff, but I know it's more than that, and I'm sorry but I don't know understand it, because I _never_ did anything to you." Juliana said looking at him in the eyes with a frown, almost as if she expected to find the answer to his feelings towards her written on them. She managed to hold it only for a couple seconds before looking to her right, avoiding his penetrating stare. "But... even if you can't stand me… I just— I wanted to say that if someday— for any reason— you feel _like that _and need anyone…" She said carefully, knowing that he wouldn't want her to repeat his words. "I'm up for talking, or just listening if you want to. I— I promise I'd keep it between me and you." He didn't return the small strained smile Juliana gave him. She turned on her heels, ready to go and slam her head to a wall when she felt him grab her arm. This time wasn't like the last, though. It was gentle and she finally realized this was the first time he moved since the last time he'd spoken.

"Don't go." He whispered softly, looking at her in the eye for a few seconds before he blinked a couple of times, letting go of her arm. "I mean— we can both be here if we don't disturb each other." He finished and was surprised once again when she smiled widely.

"Okay, yeah." Juliana said, barely able to contain her excitement, and Severus wondered what had suddenly made her react like that.

She left her bag on the table and pulled a chair to sit. She started to do her homework while he did whatever he was doing. She was too nervous to look. When she finally dared to look up, his back was facing her and he was searching for a book. She couldn't help but admire his body… his hair… his hands. _The hands he had... long fingers... pretty, pretty hands... _His voice took her out of her trance and she realized she was openly staring at him.

"Sorry, what did you say?" She asked, embarrassed.

"The book you gave me. You were right. There were things I didn't know and will help me so... uh... thank you." He finished with an awkward cough and turned his head a bit to look at her. She smiled brightly again and he frowned, trying to understand why was she smiling _so much_ at him.

"You are welcome. Maybe we could— I mean— um… study together… sometime...?" She asked with a hopeful smile, already preparing for his negative answer. He resisted the urge to smile back. Someone actually wanting to study with him just because they wanted to wasn't something that happened every day.

"Yeah, sure. If that's what you want." In that moment, Severus wasn't totally sure why he accepted so quickly. He figured that maybe if the circumstances were different and he actually had a best friend _like he used to_ he wouldn't crave for human interaction so much that he'd accept to be near a Hufflepuff, especially her. But right now he was lonely, and he felt that he needed to talk to someone other than his housemates to remain sane. And there was also the fact that she had been so… _nice _while offering herself as someone for him to talk to, that he knew he wasn't going to be able to say no. And more worrying and surprising was that he realized that not only was he unable to refuse her, _he didn't_ _want to_.

"Yes, it is. Definitely." She bit her lip and blushed again before looking down to her parchment. Severus frowned in confusion when he saw her reddened face. "Oh, I'm Juliana, by the way. I don't think you knew my name." He had the decency to look embarrassed and she laughed again. He realized he never heard someone laugh so much on his presence since... _Lily_. That thought was enough to ruin his mood completely. He sighed involuntarily and immediately regretted it but didn't worry about it; he assumed she hadn't noticed because after all, no one ever did. But she surprised him one more time. After seeing the sudden change on his expression, Juliana became worried.

"Hey." She said softly. "What's wrong?" He looked up at her and noticing his hesitation, she spoke first. "Before you answer, even if you say 'nothing' I know something happened because I recognize that look. You don't need to tell me what is it, but _do not say that nothing is wrong _because I'll know it's a lie. You can just not answer if you want to." She was being gentle but her tone was serious. He sighed again before moving to sit on the chair opposite to hers.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Severus asked even if deep inside he felt like he could— maybe he already did. There was something about the way she smiled and talked and just _existed _that made him think she could be trusted. She looked down and pointed at the yellow and black on her scarf.

"Loyalty is one of my many virtues." She replied looking up with a small smile.

"How can you know I deserve your loyalty?" He asked seriously, so she matched his tone.

"How do I know you don't? I believe in something called the benefit of the doubt."

"Slytherins hate Hufflepuffs. I know they've said things to you more than once." He reasoned.

"Is everything one Slytherin does automatically your responsibility too? As far as I know, you have never even looked at me twice, so why would I care what some other Slytherins have done to me? I'm trying to be _your _friend, not theirs." That answer caught him off guard and he looked at her, his brow furrowing.

"You're trying to be my friend? Why?" He actually looked confused, and she felt a pang of sadness on her chest.

"Why wouldn't I? I can't think of a single reason I wouldn't want to be your friend." In that moment, Juliana realized that even if Severus normally looked like he didn't care about things, he was very insecure about himself. There was nothing wrong with trying to make him feel a little better, right?

"I can. I can think of thousands of reasons."

"Do tell, please." She said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"Well… you said you knew I didn't like you. Why would you want to be my friend if you thought that?" He asked, unconsciously tilting his head a bit to the side.

"Hmm… you do have a point. So? Do you?" She asked looking at him with her eyebrows lifted, waiting for his reply.

"Do I, what?" He asked, not understanding the question.

"Do you dislike me so much that I shouldn't try to be your friend?" He was taken aback by her question and stammered for an answer.

"I—" He stopped and took a deep breath. Why not answer with the truth? Well, the _new _truth. If she had asked that yesterday the answer would have been another thing entirely. "No."

"See? There you go." She said with a pleased smile and picked up her quill to continue writing on her parchment, but he spoke again.

"It just doesn't make any sense that someone like you could possibly want to be even near someone like me." He hadn't realized he had let his guards down, but Juliana did.

"Okay, how are exactly _someone like you_ and _someone like me_? Someone like you has to be someone outstandingly brilliant, and someone like me has to be the new girl who, according a lot of students in this school, enjoys not being treated like a person but an emotionless exotic _thing__. _I'll tell you something: she _hates _it."

The unbelieving look on his face actually made her heart swell. He looked so surprised at her answer that she felt such a sudden urge to hug him that she had to cross her arms to stop herself.

"I know that you see yourself as less than others and that sometimes you wish you could be someone else, because their lives seem so much easier than yours. I've felt it too, Severus." She paused. "If you want to… we can be alone together." She gave him a little encoraging smile, and that was all it took.

"That doesn't make sense." Severus said looking at the floor with a sigh, but Juliana saw the corners of his lips lift just a bit and couldn't help but think of it as a small victory.

"I know. And that was not an answer."

Silence.

"Okay."


	4. III: Development

Welcome _**Lilith1323, iceshadow19 **_and _**HeatherLPotter7**_ and thank you for following this story and adding it to your favorites! If you have time, you can leave me a review and tell me what you think :)

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><p><strong>III<br>**_Development_

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><p>After a few weeks of getting to know each other, Juliana started to notice that when Severus opened up to her— when he <em>really<em> talked about his problems— he only did it because he didn't completely realize he was doing it. Even if he knew she was there listening and talking to him it mostly felt like he was talking to himself, trying to talk about what was happening like he didn't already know it. And sometimes— those times when she knew he didn't tell her everything about that specific matter— it felt like he was trying to convince himself of what he said and how he felt about it.

Almost every day after classes and before dinner they were on the library talking, studying— just being together. She realized that the best way to get him to open up was to not say anything whenever she saw he arrived upset. After a little while he just started speaking on his own, while she listened to everything he said. When he was finished, she calmed him down.

He _always_ asked her how her day had been, or if she was having any trouble, and listened just like she did with him, even offering comfort when there was something bothering her.

"Juliana..." He started one day while they were studying.

"Yes?" She replied without looking up.

"Does not bother you that we are keeping this friendship as a secret?" She closed her eyes with a sigh and stopped writing.

"We have talked about this." She said tiredly, looking up at him.

"Yes, I know we have. But sometimes..." He took a deep breath and looked at her in the eye. "Sometimes I wish we could just spend time together in other places. Without worrying about what people would think." She smiled fondly at him and he averted his eyes, thankful that he hadn't blushed.

"You know I do too. But you have to be reasonable. _You_ were the one who told me that if your housemates knew about it, we're as good as dead." He sighed and run his hands through his hair.

"I know... I know. Forget I said anything."

"Who would have thought you'd want to be spending time with a Hufflepuff. We're not so bad after all, right?" She tried to joke after a while.

He smiled at her attempt to lighten the mood. "Just you, I still think they are mostly idiots." He answered without really thinking, and returned to his work.

"That's not fair. You don't even have classes with Hufflepuffs now. How on Earth could you know how they're like?" By the tone of her voice, it was clear he had made her angry. Severus always tried to avoid the subject of her being on _that house_ and he had done it quite well so far, but apparently this time there was no escape. He sighed and stopped writing to look at her frowning face.

"Juliana, when was the last time Hufflepuff won the House Cup?" She opened her mouth in surprise and raised her eyebrows.

"You can't be serious! What's that have to do with anything?" She said, not believing his words.

"If they can win the House Cup, it's because they don't get enough house points. If they don't get enough house points, it's because they hardly make anything worth them." His tone was so condescending that she had to ball her hands into fists to avoid doing something she'd regret.

"You are such an asshole, Severus!" By now she was furious, but he was getting angry too. He couldn't be the one who was wrong— he had been on the school for seven years and she had only been there for a couple months. "Do you really think house points are what measure how good or smart a person can be?"

"Obviously, Juliana. What else could possibly prove it?" He said with the same voice he had used the first time they talked, a tone that meant he thought she was stupid. She looked at him with actual _hurt _on her features and he knew he had done something terrible. "Juliana I—" He said, ready to apologize but she didn't let him finish.

"There is no need to prove you are smart! You just are! They don't need house points or answering everything to know they are! And you know what?" She said picking her stuff and putting everything on her bag with more force and speed than usual. She got up and turned his chair with a hard kick so he was facing her, bringing her face down so their noses were just centimeters apart. "If you tell someone that they are worthless every day, after some time they will end up believing it even if they're not. You of all people should know that." She left before he could even begin to think of an answer.

He cursed himself under his breath and left the library shortly after her.

...

"Are you okay Juliana? You've been looking a little down these days." Amanda— who was a friend she had made shortly after they were assigned as roommates— asked looking at her with a worried expression.

"Yeah." She replied looking up from her untouched food with a weak smile. "I'm just getting sick, I think." Amanda didn't look like she believed her, but knew best than to ask about something when it was obvious the other person didn't want to talk about it.

"Okay, if you need anything just tell any of us, yeah?" She said pointing at herself and her friends. Juliana gave her a little nod and a smile, which Amanda returned before going back to her food. Juliana looked at them one by one, deep in thought. How could anyone _dare_ to call them idiots? They were, without a doubt, the best people you could find on the school. What was left for the world if being loyal, kind and hard working was considered the same as being weak and stupid? That was one _very_ depressing thought.

After a while of playing absentmindedly with the food on her plate she put her fork down and bid everyone goodnight, leaving the table to go to her room.

She wasn't getting sick, of course, she was just sad. What Severus had said hurt her a lot. She knew this people, they were absolutely amazing. They just didn't want to be the center of attention and didn't care about being the best. That wasn't a bad thing, was it?

_No_. Of course not.

Almost everyone was still in the Great Hall having dinner, so Juliana walked alone down the halls. Or that's what she thought. When she turned the corner she bumped into someone's chest and when she saw who it was, she inwardly cursed. _Of course._ Who else could it be?

"Juliana. Can we talk?" Severus asked in a soft whisper, looking around to see there was anyone nearby.

"No. I'm going to bed, and we can't be seen together anyway." She answered curtly.

"Please. It's important." Severus looked at her pleadingly and she couldn't resist, so she just sighed and nodded. He grabbed her hand unconsciously but let go after a second, blushing and walking ahead motioning her to follow him down the corridor to a small door.

"A broom closet? Nice." She said sarcastically after Severus locked the door with his wand and put a silencing charm on it. He lit up the room with his wand and she squinted her eyes at the brightness of the light. "What did you need?" She asked crossing her arms and looking to the floor to avoid his stare. She really wanted to forgive him for what he said, but in order to do that he needed to be sorry.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said the other day. I've been thinking a lot about how I should apologize and I know I was wrong, and I'm so sorry for everything I said. Everything. I was being an idiot, I know it, and I deeply regret it. And I really don't know any Hufflepuffs beside you because for years I have been told that they weren't worth my time and that they were less than me and I just didn't know better." He took a deep breath. "But I know they're not. I know. Because of you. I am truly sorry for what I did." His wand was resting at his side, the light not quite reaching her face so he couldn't see the fond smile forming on it. When she was about to answer that he was _obviously_ forgiven he interrupted her. "I— I understand if you don't want us to be friends anymore. And I promise I won't bother you again. I just wanted to make sure you knew th—"

"What!?" She squealed. "Wait. No. Stop. No. What?! I don't want us to stop being friends! Why would you even think that?!" _Shit. Shit. Shit! I know why he believed that, _she thought and felt suddenly guilty. "I just wanted you to apologize! Oh my God! I'm sorry if I made you think that!" She cried out worriedly and to his surprise hugged him tightly, burying her face on his neck.

They never hugged before, and at first he didn't know what to do. After a few seconds he left his wand on a shelf and hugged back, pressing his face on her hair and inhaling her scent. She smelled like coconuts and nature, and he immediately loved it. He closed his eyes and got lost in the moment, until she pulled away just enough to look at him. Their eyes connected and their noses were just about to touch. She wondered if he also felt like there was a magnetic force in the air that was pulling them together.

Severus didn't know what she was doing until he realized she was looking at his lips while licking hers, slowly beginning to lean into him.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a soft whisper but regretted it almost instantly, afraid it was going to make her pull away. But she stayed right where she was, still hugging his waist with him still hugging hers.

"Can I kiss you?" Juliana asked in the same tone.

"Yes, please." He finished and closed the distance between their faces.

Neither of them would want to say it out loud and admit that the romantic crap was actually not so far from the truth, but they couldn't deny what they were feeling. There were _stars_ and _fireworks_ and _butterflies_ and _electricity_ and it just felt _so right_. Juliana moved her arms to his neck and deepened the kiss as he picked her up, tangling her legs on his waist and pulling her even closer to him, moving forward until her back made contact with the wall, making it easier for him to hold her up. After a few minutes they were breathless, dizzy, and above all, _happy_. And in that moment, they knew there was nothing that could erase those huge smiles from their faces.


	5. IV: Evolution

**Hello everyone and especially **_buubaa_** and **_3Padfootlover3 _**who added this story to their favorites and followed it! Thanks for reading and please review if you can! It means a lot :) **

**Warning: This chapter contains Sirius bashing.**

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><p><strong>IV<br>**_Evolution_

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><p>Severus and Juliana now loved spending time together even more than before, but because they had to keep their relationship as a secret, they couldn't be together too much apart from the time they were at the library. However, they came up with a solution: sneak out of their dormitories to see each other almost every night. Avoiding the prefects was much easier than it looked, so they didn't have any problems with that. Everything was working fine.<p>

For the first week, at least.

One night Severus met Juliana by the kitchens —because they were the closest place to her dorm— but as they moved closer to kiss, they both felt the hair on the back of their necks stand up.

"Someone's following us." Juliana whispered to Severus as he hugged her.

"I know." He replied lowly and kissed her temple softly.

Before they pulled away Juliana had already felt Severus reach for his wand— so she wasn't surprised when she heard him whisper-scream _Homenum Revelio. _What surprised her however, was the person that appeared in front of them.

"_Black_?" Juliana spat, annoyed. "What the hell are you doing following us?"

"Well, I wasn't _following_ you." Sirius smiled smugly and shrugged casually. "I just happened to be around here at the same time as you. Don't you think I have much better things to do with my time than chasing you, Snivellus?" He asked with a sardonic grin. Severus was furious. Juliana intertwined her fingers with his to help calming him down— even if she wanted to attack him herself. This gesture did not go unnoticed by Sirius.

"Oh…" He said joining his hands as he laughed out loud. "So you two really are a thing?" He asked with an unbelieving smile. "Now _that's_ a good joke. Someone wants to spend their time with you on their own free will?" He spoke to Severus, faking surprise. "Well, the _free will _part could be debatable. Don't worry Juliana, in no time you will be running away from him. Just like _Lily_ did." That last sentence was said with so much malice that Juliana knew it'd only took one more word to come out of his mouth for her to lose control. Severus hand was gripping his wand so hard his knuckles were completely white.

"Black, I'm warning you. Get out of here or I'll make you pay for it. And you better shut up about this or you will regret it." Severus hissed in a low and very dangerous tone, worrying Juliana. But Sirius was enjoying every second of it, and he had on his mind just the right thing to finish him off.

"You know, Juliana..." Sirius said moving closer. Severus wand was now pointing directly at his head, but he didn't care. "A girl like you could do so much better. And everyone knows that it doesn't get better than Sirius Black in this school." He winked at her and she resisted the urge to gag. The way he talked about himself in third person was making her want to hex him into oblivion.

And then an idea struck her.

"You know, Sirius..." She said walking to him and letting go of Severus' hand— unknowingly sending him into an inner panic attack. _Of course she was going to go with him_, he thought. Sirius grinned like a kid in a toy shop. "I'm only saying this once, because even if I believe you are as dumb as troll, I do hope you'll understand this simple sentence." His smile vanished along with Severus inner struggle. "I would rather drop dead than be seen with you. Or any of your friends for that matter. I don't think what kind of charm you think you have, but I assure you the only reaction I get when you are near me is an excessive urge to vomit." He took a step back and she moved closer. "And..." She lowered her voice so only he could listen. "_You smell like a dog_." He looked her in the eye and he realized that she_ knew_. Her smug smile only served as confirmation. "And now, you are going to do whatever you have to do to make sure no one knows about me and him."

"And why the bloody hell would I do that? Weren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be kind and all that rubbish?" He hissed angrily with narrowed eyes. She laughed in disbelief, as if what he had just said was the dumbest thing she had ever heard.

"Kind, yes. Not _stupid_. We know better than give kindness to those who do not deserve it. And what could possibly make you think _you_, of all people, do? You know, Sirius... I strongly believe that in the end... you get what you give." She grabbed his bare wrist and held it tightly in her hand. "You are going to make sure _no one_ knows about him and me." She repeated and he felt his wrist getting warm. No, it was hot. _Too hot_. It was painfully hot_._ He gasped in pain.

"What are you doing? LET ME GO!" He screamed and she let go of his arm.

"What I'm doing is giving you a good reason to do as I say. That..." she said pointing at his burned wrist, "...is a second degree burn. Doing that to you was as easy as breathing for me. You don't want to know what else I can do if you do not do as I say. And stay away from us. You have the way to the infirmary to make up a story about how you got yourself burned. Now, leave." Sirius was beyond pissed at this point but did not dare to argue. Directing one more angry look at the two, he turned around and left.

When he was finally gone Juliana let out a heavy breath she didn't know she'd been holding and moved to see how Severus was. But just as she was turning around, she was pulled into a strong embrace and felt a pair of lips crashing hungrily into hers, making her walk backwards until she felt her back making contact with the wall. She was surprised but did not hesitate to return both the kiss and embrace. Severus pulled one of her legs around his waist, holding her close and making them both moan. When they finally parted to breathe she had a dizzy smile on her face. That was the first time he'd kissed her _like that_; with so much desire, making her feel so wanted.

"Come." He murmured huskily before grabbing her hand and leading her to somewhere on the castle she didn't know. They stopped in front of a weird tapestry just as he let go of her hand and began walking in front of it. He did it three times.

"Please, please..." he whispered and she looked at him with a frown. He usually knew what he was doing, so she just waited. Just a few seconds later, a door began to appear on the wall, making her eyes open wide in surprise.

"What the hell..." She managed to say, dumbfounded. He sighed with relief and grabbed her hand again, opening the door to lead her inside.

If she was dumbfounded before, she didn't know what she felt now. The room before her was astounding: there were candles, carpeted floors, a big couch that looked like the most comfortable thing in the world; it was gorgeous. She turned to him to ask if he had made this for her but the surprised expression on his face told her the answer.

"What is this place?" Juliana asked, amazed.

"It's called the Room of Requirement. It appears when someone is in great need, and it adapts to what they want."

"So this is what you wanted?" She asked walking inside to lay into a pile of cushions wondering if they were as comfortable as they looked. They felt so amazing she thought that maybe this was what sleeping on a cloud would feel like, if it was actually possible. She closed her eyes and smiled. He couldn't help but smile too seeing her there, and walked to lay down with her. She intertwined her fingers with his and turned to look at him, their faces really close.

"What I asked for was a nice place where could be together without being bothered." He said and leaned into her.

"This certainly does the job..." she whispered before closing the distance between them. They began kissing softly but quickly the kisses turned desperate, and Juliana moved to straddle him. However, as good as it felt, Severus really needed to talk to her first.

"Juliana, wait." She looked at him, her face becoming a mixture of scared, curious and worried.

"Why, what happened?" She said and began to move one of her legs to stop straddling him— because maybe he didn't want _that_ yet— but he stopped her, keeping her where she was.

"It's not that." He said with one hand caressing her hip where her shirt was lifted and the other going to caress her face, removing a strand of loose hair from her eye. She sighed contentedly, leaning into his touch, and smiled at him.

"What's wrong?" She asked and moved to lay on top of him with her face buried on his shoulder, while kissing his neck softly. Now it was his turn to sigh in pleasure.

"I brought you here because I think we need to talk about what happened earlier." He began and she hid her face on his hair and mumbled something he didn't understand. "What?" He asked with a smile on his voice. "I can't understand you, love." She said something else and again it came out muffled. "I still don't know what you're saying."

"I said..." She began as she lifted her head and moved so they were both laying on their sides, facing each other with their legs tangled, his hand still on her hip still and hers on his torso. "I love it when you call me that."

"When I call you what?" He asked.

"_Love_. Your accent and your voice make it sound _so_ nice." Juliana said and blushed, moving her hands to her face to hide it behind them. He pulled them away slowly and leaned forward to kiss her.

"Well..." He said before leaving one soft kiss on her closed lips. "I love calling you that." She smiled. "But don't avoid the subject. We have to talk about it." Her smile faltered and a sigh escaped her lips.

"Fine, but you begin." She said and moved to rest on her back, looking at the ceiling for a few moments before meeting his stare again.

"Fair enough." He waited a few seconds, trying to find the right way to say what he wanted. He opened his mouth to start a few times but closed it again. Finally, he spoke."When Black said that he was a better choice than me, and you let go of my hand I— I honestly thought you were going to leave me to go with him." He saw the flash of hurt in her eyes but it wasn't directed at him, it wasn't because of what he said. She was hurt by the fact that he felt so insecure about himself that he'd even thought that a possibility.

"Severus..." Juliana said biting her lip and caressing his cheek softly with her thumb before placing a comforting kiss on his lips. Severus smiled just barely and moved his arm to her back to push her against his body. She hugged him back and placed her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"It's just— I find it so hard to understand that you want to be with me. That's why I can't get why you did what you did to him."

"Severus." She said looking up at him in the eye. "That bastard had it coming. He tried to kill you for Christ's sake! And got away without being punished! Look, I need you to understand that the fact that it didn't work out with Lily doesn't mean it's not going to work out between us. _I want to be with you_. I have no doubts about it." He looked at her for a few seconds until the meaning of her words finally struck him and moved his head down, his mouth finding hers while he kissed her deeply one more time. The dizzy smile she had before was back on her face.

"We should never stop doing that." She managed to say with a silly laugh and he smiled, moving her legs to straddle his waist again. He sat up and she wrapped her legs around him, resting her forehead against his before joining their lips in a searing kiss. Their bodies molded together perfectly, almost as if they were actually made to fit each other.

"You know..." Severus said a while later, pulling away just enough to look at her face. "I would've never imagined a Hufflepuff could do what you did..." She frowned a bit and he panicked, scared he might hurt her again with his words. "I mean threatening and hurting someone like that. I'm not saying it as a bad thing, I swear. It's just— it was a bit unexpected, but not unwelcome. Not at all." He finished looking down while caressing her exposed hips softly with his hands.

"I wouldn't do that to someone who didn't deserve it. And to be honest, I think he does. I'm not into violence but I was way too pissed to care. And I wasn't going to go beyond that._ I'm not_ going to go beyond that, but he doesn't have to know that. Besides, he's such an asshole! And it is also the nature of a Hufflepuff to be loyal. Never forget it." She finished pecking his lips with a reassuring smile.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not entirely confused about what she had said and what it meant, but just wanting to hear her say it.

"It means I root for you. It doesn't mean I agree with everything you do or that I'm worshipping the ground you walk on; it means you can trust me and I won't betray you. Well— unless you betray me first."

"I would never betray you." And with that promise made, they got lost into each other once again.


	6. V: Strenght

**Hello! Thanks to **_Lavythecat, yuki0123, ZappedOfOriginality_ **and**_ person2309 _**for the follows and favorites! You are fantastic.**

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><p><strong>V<strong>_  
>Strength<em>

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><p>"Severus...?" Juliana whispered as she traced random patterns with her index finger on his bare chest.<p>

"Mhhm?" He mumbled in response with his eyes closed, holding her just a little tighter against his naked torso. She placed kiss on his chest that left him almost trembling, and then finally spoke.

"Would you like to spend Christmas Break with me on Brazil?" She asked almost shyly, not looking at him. Severus opened his eyes immediately and looked at her, absolute surprise written on his features.

"What? Are you serious?" He asked pulling away from her and sitting on the enormous bed the Room of Requirement had provided for them.

"Of course I'm serious." She sat up too. "You will need a signed permission but— I mean—" She didn't know how to say '_I don't think your father will care what you do as long as you don't go where he is and if to get that he has a to sign a paper, I don't think he will mind' _but she didn't need to, he understood. "I mean— _only_ if you want to. You don't have to come. I just... my mom said she wants to meet you..." She rambled, scared by his silence. His eyes opened wide and she thought she had said something wrong. "Um..." she said with her voice an octave higher, trying to think of something to say.

"Your mum wants to meet me? You've talked to her about me? _Us_?" He asked with no clear emotion in his voice and an unreadable expression on his face. She absolutely hated when she couldn't tell how he felt or what he was thinking.

"...yes?" She said quietly, expecting a lecture about how it was dangerous to write that on a letter. But what she got instead was him on top of her kissing her desperately. She kept her eyes open for a second, surprised by his sudden action, but began kissing him back in no time, wrapping her legs around his waist to bring him closer. Severus broke the kiss and used his elbows to lift himself a bit from her. He couldn't help but think that she looked beautiful with her hair spread out on the pillow, her eyes dark with desire and her ragged breath.

"I love you." It came out from his mouth without warning, before he could even think about it. He cursed himself on his head, thinking that she was going to run away after his sudden confession. On the contrary, she smiled a surprised smile and pulled him down for another kiss. A few seconds later, she whispered on his ear.

"I love you more."

They made love once again and Juliana had to wait a while to be finally able to form a coherent sentence.

"You haven't answered."

"Yes. I'd love to spend Christmas break with you." She squealed with excitement and he smiled lovingly, holding her tightly against him.

...

As usual, Juliana and Severus were together on their special place on the library; he was sitting on the couch with her lying comfortably on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder while she played with his fingers.

"We should revise what we're going to do one more time." She said with a sleepy voice looking up at him.

"You're falling asleep, love. Are you sure you want to do it now? We still have time, do you want to sleep for a while? I'll wake you up in an hour." Severus suggested tenderly while moving his hand to caress the soft skin of her stomach under her blouse. He kissed her head lovingly, making her tilt her face up, asking for a kiss on the lips. He smiled and pecked her softly.

"Mhmmnno…" She moaned and leaned further into him. "I'll sleep after we revise what we're going to do." She finished stifling a yawn.

"Very well then." Severus complied, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You start."

"Okay. Well, first we just board the train like we'd normally do. I'm not worried about myself leaving, but you don't tend to go away for the holidays. So, I'll leave you to make up a lie just in case anyone asks." He nodded.

"Once we arrive to Kings Cross, I will walk into muggle London and I will take a cab once I know I'm only surrounded by muggles. You will take it on the station. Then I'll go to your uncle's cottage." It was now Juliana's turn to nod, and then she continued.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you that my mom already sent me the portkey. Well, I should be there already waiting for you. If everything goes right, we will have to wait probably like two hours until it activates, because my uncle said that we should not take any chances and we should have enough time to get ready." She smiled and he smiled back before giving her a kiss.

"That's about it. Are you going to sleep now, love?" He asked, hoping she'd say yes. She'd been feeling very anxious about the holiday and wasn't getting enough rest.

"Hmmm... _whyd'yathinkIshouldsleep_…?" She mumbled and began to doze off, her breathing slowing down until she fell unconscious. He looked down at her peaceful face and couldn't help the sudden wave of love that washed him. How had he gotten so lucky? How something so absolutely wonderful was happening to him? He couldn't help but hear Juliana's voice on his mind scolding him for thinking like that, telling him that she loved him more than anything, like she had done so many times before in reality. He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her lips softly, smiling when he saw the corners of her lips lift upwards and her body snuggled closer to his.

Sadly, after a while he had to wake her up, even if he wished he didn't have to.

"Juliana, love. Wake up." Severus whispered softly in her ear, resisting the urge to laugh when she groaned in displeasure. "We have to get going; it's almost time for dinner." He explained, not wanting to move from there any more than she did.

A minute passed before she finally sighed and opened her tired eyes and met his almost immediately, liking very much what she saw in them. That love, that devotion that always shone in them when he was looking at her, the same she knew that shone in hers when she looked at him.

"I haven't even packed yet." Juliana whispered, making no actual attempts to move from his lap.

"Of course you haven't." Severus replied rolling his eyes before moving his body so he could kiss her properly, knowing this was going to wake her up completely. She responded eagerly, moving before he knew what was happening to straddle his lap, letting her weight fall on him, making him groan loudly in her mouth. She smiled as she pulled his bottom lip with her teeth, but they both knew they couldn't go any further. She grudgingly moved away and stood up, fixing her clothes and hair before grabbing their bags from the floor, handing him his when he walked to her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, yes?" She said before closing the distance between them, letting herself be kissed by him. He nodded with his forehead against hers and kissed her one last time before she reluctantly pulled away and left.

Severus waited a few minutes like he always did and left the library behind Juliana. He stopped by his dorm before going to dinner, knowing that she wasn't going to do that and it would make them arrive even more separated to the Great Hall.

...

So far everything was going according to plan. They had boarded the train without any problems and were already halfway there. Still, Severus couldn't help but feel nervous; he wasn't used to things going this well. If this worked, his holiday had a big chance of being great, which meant that there was a small voice at the back of his mind constantly saying that he had to prepare for the worst, because everything was too good to be true.

When they arrived to the station, he caught a glimpse of Juliana getting into a car and let out a small relieved sigh. That meant she was already on her way. He grabbed a hold of his trunk and began walking calmly, but just a few seconds later he found himself going head first into the ground. He barely had time to turn a little to the side to avoid breaking his skull on the floor, which resulted on his shoulder taking all the force of the fall. He gritted his teeth and held it in pain; it was definitely dislocated.

"Will you ever stop making a fool of yourself, Snivellus?" A mocking voice said from behind him. _Of course_,_ I should have known, _he thought. He got up, grabbed his trunk and began walking the other way. His arm hurt like hell, but he managed to pretend that nothing was wrong.

Sirius was far from pleased.

"My friend, wait up." He said pressing his hand on his shoulder with so much force that Severus nearly fell on his knees. Sweat was beginning to form on his forehead, and he bit his tongue so hard to avoid screaming in pain that he felt the taste of blood. He could fix it with a wave of his wand, but in that moment they were in front of hundreds of muggles, which gave Sirius a perfect opportunity. He couldn't do anything; he_ wouldn't_ do anything. Not in front of so many people, at least.

"Sirius, what are you doing?_ Let's go_." Lupin's annoyed voice yelled from somewhere not too far.

"I'm just saying goodbye to my friend here, Remus." Sirius replied with fake kindness in his voice. "It is not a common day when he leaves the castle for a holiday..." He lowered his voice. "He's probably going to spend Christmas with all his Death Eater friends, exchanging gifts, killing people for fun..."

"Yes, I am actually." Severus retorted quickly in a very dangerous tone. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to say hello to your entire family for you." Sirius' eyes flashed dangerously and he sneered at him.

"You are hilarious." He said in a normal tone again and punched him on his injured shoulder with great strength. To anyone who was casually walking by that probably looked like a friendly gesture, but to Severus it felt like being burned alive. His face was completely soaked on sweat now, and his hair was beginning to stick on his face.

"Have a good holiday." Sirius said with a huge grin and left.

Severus walked with difficulty a few blocks until he found an empty alley. He made sure no one was watching before he put his shoulder back on place. This hurt even more than before, but this time he allowed himself to kneel in pain. Once he regained his breath, he tried moving his arm only to discover that it still hurt. Not as much as before, obviously, but the pain was considerable.

He walked a couple more blocks until he finally stopped a cab, and only after he told the driver the address he allowed himself to lay back on his seat and relax for the remainder of the ride.

...

Severus paid the driver and got out of the car. The cottage was small and had a wooden fence with a small gate on the front. He admired at it for a few seconds as the cab drove away. He thought it looked cozy and very homey, just like houses were supposed to look; just like he wished his house looked. Suddenly, the door opened and a smiling Juliana appeared on the doorstep. She ran outside to meet him but stopped midway, the smile on her face vanishing. She looked at him for a second before hurrying and taking his face on her hands. She looked terribly worried, and he didn't understand why at first. Then he realized it had to be because he probably did not look too good at the moment.

"What happened, are you okay?" Juliana asked him as she hugged him, her arm making contact with his injured shoulder. He flinched and she pulled away immediately, taking a step back. "Are you hurt?" She managed to ask, her eyes big and scared.

"I'll tell you inside." He replied and she nodded. Grabbing his hand, she took his trunk and carried it for him. He let her without protesting, a wave of tiredness now hitting him full force.

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><p>Leave a review maybe? That would be<strong> awesome<strong>!


	7. VI: Delight

**Hello everyone and welcome **_DarkStarsInBlacklight_**! **

**Remember that bolded sentences mean that particular bit is spoken in portuguese. Review if you can, I'd love to read what you think!**

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><p><strong>VI<br>**_Delight_

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><p>"<strong>THAT IDIOT!<strong> I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Juliana screamed, enraged. Still muttering curses in Portuguese under her breath, she started to look for something on her bag. Severus had some time to cool off already, but she was still fuming. Although, he had to admit that seeing _her_ getting so worried and angry at someone because they hurt him felt nicer than he would've thought. It seemed that she'd found what she was looking for because she walked to him with a small bottle on her hands. When she handed it to him he took it without asking; if he'd been in better conditions he would have taken a potion of his own, but he hadn't even thought about it. She sat beside him on the couch and he moved so his head now rested on her lap. She began running her hands on his hair, relaxing him in a way only she was capable of. She was still pissed, but it was hard to remain that way when they were in such a nice position, in such a nice place, with only the sounds of birds and the breeze in the air. They stayed like that for a while until he fell asleep. Then she began to move away, but before she could stand up he opened his eyes and stopped her.

"No... stay." Severus mumbled and closed his eyes again. Juliana smiled and leaned down to kiss his lips briefly, enjoying how the corners of his mouth curled upwards immediately.

"Do you wanna take a bath? We still have to wait more than an hour and this house has an amazing and _big _bathtub." She suggested after a few moments. He opened one eye and smirked.

"Is that an invitation?" He asked with a spark on his eyes.

"You bet." She replied with a smirk that mirrored his own.

...

"I don't have summer clothes." Severus complained.

"Oh, no! What are we going to do?" She asked sarcastically, raising up her arms dramatically. "I wish you were a wizard who could transfigure a pencil into a pair of shorts! We have to cancel everything." He rolled his eyes at her antics and she gasped in fake realization. "Severus… I think—" She whispered and moved closer, as if she was going to tell him a secret. "I think this might actually be the end of the world."

He laughed at her and she smiled back, dropping her act. She helped him with the clothes and they dressed together. Shortly after they were prepared and ready to go.

"Ready?" She asked with a soft smile, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Ten seconds left."

"Ready." He replied and a moment later they both put their fingers on the broken cup on the table. As soon as they did they felt like they were being pulled from their legs and stretched like a rubber band. Thankfully, before they could get accustomed to that dreadful sensation they arrived to their destination, falling ungracefully into the ground. Severus landed on his back, with Juliana landing directly on top of him. They groaned in pain and Severus was a bit disoriented at first, but after a few seconds felt her getting up and began to open his eyes. What greeted him was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen: an enormous beach with crystal blue water and what he thought was the bluest sky in the world. He had to cover his eyes a bit because the sun was too bright for him— but other than that everything was perfect. Juliana helped him up and then locked her fingers with his, kissing him softly on the cheek.

"Welcome to Rio." She whispered on his ear with a smile. "Now let's go inside before you get sun burnt." She turned him around and he saw a house a few meters away. Since it was the only house relatively close, it was safe to assume that was where she lived. Just as they were about to reach the front door, a woman who looked to be about forty or forty five years old opened the door and yelled something Severus didn't understand. She had to be her mother; the resemblance between them could not be missed. Juliana waved excitedly with a smile before she whispered on his ear again.

"They might say is that you are too pale at some point. Don't get offended— you are. It's not a bad thing; they're just not that used to see it." He nodded and held her hand tightly. He wasn't scared— he was downright terrified.

_What if she didn't like him? What if she forbade him to see Juliana again? What if she already had someone in mind for her daughter? What if it was someone from there_—_ someone better looking than him?_

Juliana's mother hugged her daughter and said something he didn't understand again. When she pulled away, she fixed her eyes on him and he swallowed.

"You are Severus!" She said excitedly with a very thick accent. He nodded, nervous. "Don't be shy; Juliana says so much about you I feel I already know you. I'm Isabel, her mother." She came to him and gave him a kiss on each cheek. He looked surprised and Juliana bit her lip to not laugh.

"That's the custom here, love." Juliana whispered with an amused smile.

"Come! We need to introduce you to everybody! Juliana never brings a boyfriend to meet the family." She said with a smile and walked ahead of them.

"You never brought anyone before to meet them?" He asked her with a furrowed brow.

"No. No one was special enough." She answered and held his hand again. The corners of his mouth lifted up. "This is something that never happened before and that's why I'm sure there are more people than just my mother waiting inside, but don't worry, you can trust them. They're probably just my aunts and uncles, and a few cousins. Also, you will be kissed like before by all the women on the room. I thought you should know."

"WHAT?" He gasped but didn't have time to say anything else because she opened the door and they were greeted by a group of people— and there were definitely women there— on the living room waiting for them.

"**HELLO!**" They all said at the same time and Severus took a step back. Juliana gave his hand a firm squeeze and brought him to her side, making sure their bodies were extremely close so he could feel her reassurance.

They all started talking at the same time, making it even harder for him to even catch a word of what they were saying. To his surprise, he heard his name being said quite a lot, which meant they were actually talking about him.

"**This is my boyfriend Severus. He's overwhelmed because all of this is new for him. People on England act different, so please calm down and don't make him uncomfortable. Also, he only speaks English. Please be nice and respectful.**" Juliana said with a pleading smile, and with that everyone started introducing themselves to him. Most of them spoke English— some better than others but he was in no position to complain— and they all told him that they were thrilled to finally meet him. It was hard for Severus to believe anything of what was happening, but handled the situation the best he could.

After a while, Juliana sat on a chair and just looked at him, not being able to stop herself from smiling. He had begun to feel more and more comfortable with the people on the room; he was opening up more easily. But then again, that wasn't too hard with these people. They were nice and loving and where trying really hard to make him feel at home. Severus hit it off right away with her uncle Henry— the owner of the cottage who was actually her aunt's American husband and also a Potions Master. She couldn't say she wasn't expecting it.

They had dinner outside, and by then he was feeling more comfortable than he'd thought possible. He laughed, smiled, and even cracked a joke or two without thinking it twice.

A while after dinner, Juliana moved closer to ask him if he wanted to go for a walk on the beach, to which he eagerly said yes. It had been all amazing, but he needed some space and quiet for a while. They both excused themselves and walked slowly to the water. They went barefoot, so they could enjoy the feeling of the water and wet sand. The moon was up in the sky and the sight of the stars reflecting on the sea was breathtaking. They walked on comfortable silence for a while, until Severus finally broke it.

"Thank you." He said looking down with his hands shoved inside his pockets. Juliana looked at him and smiled. They sat on the sand and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I can't remember the last time I felt like this." He whispered and she hugged his middle, snuggling closer to his body.

"How?" She questioned softly.

"Happy." He replied, turning to look at her. She brought her face closer to his and just as they were about to kiss they heard a noise on the bushes behind them. Juliana sighed with a smile and pressed her forehead on his for second before looking over her shoulder.

"**Come out. We can hear you.**" She said and Severus raised an eyebrow. Nothing happened. "**I will tell your mom you were following me again.**"

The sound was heard again, only this time a little girl appeared. She slowly made her way to where they sat, with a piece of folded paper on her hands. "Severus, remember Teresa, my cousin?" He nodded. She had been the only one who didn't talk to him before. "She's almost four, and she sure loves following me around." Severus waved his hand awkwardly at her and she looked down, blushing.

"**Why did you follow us?**" Teresa said something on Juliana's ear that made her laugh. "**Okay.**" She replied and looked at him. The little girl handed him the folded piece of paper. "Take it." Juliana instructed. He did as told and opened it. It was a drawing of him and Juliana, holding hands. It had weird colored doodles everywhere, but Severus couldn't help but feel very touched at the gesture.

"**Thank you**." He said to the little girl like Juliana had taught him to. They heard her name being called— by her mother, most likely— and she hugged him quickly before running away. "Why did she give me this?" He asked after a moment.

"She liked you. She said you were pretty." His eyebrows shot up.

"Pretty?" He asked, making her roll her eyes.

"Hey, don't blame the translator." She said with a smile. A few seconds passed before she spoke again. "You know… everyone liked you." He sighed at her words and leaned back into the sand, inviting her to do the same with his look.

"That never happened before." He said with a trace of sadness on his voice. She placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face so he could look at her.

"Maybe you haven't been given a chance to be liked." He moved a strand of hair from her face and left his hand there.

"I love you so much." He said suddenly, his voice low.

"**I love you more.**" She replied and quickly kissed him, stopping him from saying otherwise.

...

After they got back, most of Juliana's relatives were already gone and those who weren't, were about to leave. Once they got inside, Severus finally asked a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"Where am I sleeping?" Juliana turned around to look at him and frowned, clearly confused.

"With me, of course. Unless you'd rather sleep somew—" She began to say but he interrupted her.

"With _you_?" He asked, surprised. "Your mother is okay with this?"

_Oooooh…__ it's because of that, _she thought.

"Sex is not a taboo on my family. As long as we keep it private and are careful, she doesn't mind." Severus mouth fell and his eyes opened wide. He didn't know what to say.

"I'm very uncomfortable right now." He creaked out, his face pale as a sheet.

"Oh no, no, don't be!" She cried out as she grabbed his face on her hands. "Love, you don't have to sleep in my room. I'm sure I can—" She began to say but he interrupted her again.

"That's not what I meant! Of course I want to be with you." He whispered with worried eyes, making her smile lovingly before giving him a soft and short kiss on the lips.

"Well... come on then." She told him just as her mother entered the house.

"**We're going to bed. Goodnight mom.**" Juliana said and her mother smiled.

"You better sleep tonight," Isabel said to Severus, "because I know tomorrow a long day awaits you." By now his face was as red as a tomato, so he just nodded, afraid that his voice might be higher than usual. Juliana grinned as they went up the stairs, Severus' trunk floating behind them.

"This is it." She said as she opened the door of her room, closing it again once they were inside. It wasn't big but it was really nice. The walls were white with baby blue flowers on the middle. She had two more doors inside, one to her closet and the other to her bathroom, he assumed. Her bed was big enough for both of them, and she had a big window with a balcony where you could see the sea. Severus enjoyed the cold night air on his face and closed his eyes. Juliana walked to his side and he draped an arm across her shoulders. She hugged him close and he kissed the top of her head.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" He asked moving to hold her waist and kiss her neck. She buried her fingers on his hair while she bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. She moved his head up to join their lips, and they kept kissing slowly for quite some time.

"Do you get tanned?" She asked after a while.

"What? Uh…no, I don't think so. But I never went to a place where the sun was strong enough to do it." He answered.

"Yeah, I don't think so either. You will probably end up all red and in pain. It doesn't matter. And tomorrow we are scuba diving."

"Scuba diving? What's that?" He asked.

"Oh, tomorrow you'll know." She answered with a playful smirk.

"Okay." He replied without giving it much thought and began kissing her again, until she abruptly pulled away.

"Wait! I want..." She said going inside quickly and appearing with a camera on her hands. "A picture of you and me kissing."

"What?" Severus asked surprised.

"Please! Pleeeeeease. Pleasepleasepleaseeee." She begged with a tiny pout.

"Fine!" He said, laughing. She smiled victoriously and left the camera floating on the air to go stand in front of him. She looked up and locked eyes with him.

"What's wrong?" She asked when he didn't come any closer.

"I— I just don't want to ruin it." He confessed, embarrassed. Juliana smiled sadly and moved her face closer to his. His hands instinctively moved to caress her cheeks and he slowly placed his lips on top of hers. A sudden light made him pull away from her and she smiled. She took the camera and pulled the picture out.

"How bad is it?" Severus asked with a half hearted smile, not really joking.

"It's perfect." She answered and kissed him again, this time without any interruption.


	8. VII: Insight

**Hello everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update, I start college again on monday and things have been a bit crazy.**

**Anyway, welcome to **_Tykuiya, makaylaann21998, Jordan Lynn 7, Lady Jensen, Luna1998, Ebony Starstorm, JulPer12, The Weird And The Wonderful _**and**_ Lady Jensen _**and thanks for the follows and favorite!**

**And last but not least I'd like to thank and send an enormous virtual hug to **_Lavythecat _**who left the first review ever and was also super nice! I love you!**

**Okay people, here's the next chapter. Please review if you can and tell me what you think!**

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><p><strong>VII<strong>_  
>Insight<em>

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><p>"What's this supposed to be?" Severus asked, appalled by the garment he held in his hands. Juliana bit her lip in order to not laugh at the tone of his voice.<p>

"That is a wetsuit. You have to put it on; it'll protect your skin." She replied from the bathroom.

"I'm not wearing this! It's... tight!" Severus whispered, frantic. Juliana laughed and came out of the bathroom with hers only pulled up to the waist, leaving her torso naked except for her bikini top. Severus' rant abruptly ended once he saw her; he swallowed hard and took a deep breath to regain his control.

"That looks good." He managed to say, making her roll her eyes with a smile on her lips. She finished putting her wetsuit, turning around so he could zip it up for her.

"No one is going to say anything if that's what you're afraid of. This is what you're supposed to wear when you go scuba diving." He looked at the piece of clothing on his hand and reluctantly started to put it on, feeling extremely self-conscious.

His back was turned to her so she could return the favor of zipping the suit up. After a few seconds of Juliana not moving to help him, he turned his head around only to find her glazed eyes staring longingly at his lower back. He blushed and turned around, only to have her gazing at the now more noticeable bulge between his legs.

"God." Juliana breathed out and in a second her body was pressed tightly to his. She put her chin on his shoulder and brought her mouth close to his ear.

"You don't know how good your body looks on this." She whispered huskily and Severus had to bit his bottom lip to avoid letting out a loud moan when she rolled her hips against his. He was almost trembling with desire when she spoke again. "Scuba diving will have to wait." She mumbled quickly before pushing him onto the bed and straddling his hips with an excited smile.

...

On the days that came after their arrival, Severus could easily say that he'd had a wonderful time. Juliana's family had succeeded in making him feel like he was one of them now, like he was part of the family. During this holiday he let a different side of him come to life; one that he was almost sure he had never allowed himself to be before then. He lost the fear to show his feelings; he didn't think that if he smiled or laughed people would consider him weak. Above all, he felt _accepted_.

On the night of Christmas Eve, Severus specifically went to the living room and stood in front of a wall, paying close attention to the pictures displayed on it for the first time. Many of them consisted of a younger Juliana with a man he assumed was her father, because they shared similar physical traits. He was so immersed in his thoughts, thinking about how happy Juliana looked in every picture, that he didn't hear her enter the room.

"Severus! There you are." She said from the doorway, startling him and ending his trance. She walked to his side and looked at the pictures with a smile.

"Do you miss him?" He asked bluntly and she sighed, a nostalgic look filling her eyes. "I'm sorry love, I shouldn't have asked." He apologized softly, holding her face in his hands and kissing her lips softly before holding her in his arms. She returned the hug immediately, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's fine Severus, you deserve to know if you want to, because it's important to me and I love you." He smiled at her and joined their lips for a brief moment again. When they pulled away, Juliana's pleased smile faltered immediately. "I do miss him. Especially on occasions like this one." He intertwined his fingers with hers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "He would've loved you, you know." She said matter of factly.

"Okay...?" He answered unsurely, not trusting her words.

"He was fascinated by the Dark Arts too." Severus looked at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. "I remember how he always said that people were mostly scared of the name, you know? He wanted more people to understand them instead of fearing them. He was specialized on healing severe injuries made by dark magic, and was starting to work on how to revert the insanity created by prolonged torture. He didn't get to finish his work, as you can imagine."

"Can I ask how he died?" He whispered softly as he caressed her cheek. She leaned into his touch and nodded.

"Car accident." His brow creased almost unnoticeably. He wasn't going to say it out loud, but he felt disappointed. He was expecting something a little more... _astonishing_ and a little less, well… _muggle._

"Ah, a little disappointed, I see." She said, not harshly. He looked at her with regret in his eyes, afraid he had hurt her or upset her. "No, don't worry about it. They took him to the hospital but there was nothing to be done. His organs were so compromised that not even magic could save him. It was quite ironic." Severus hugged her and she rested her forehead on his chest.

"I'm so sorry." Severus said meaningfully and she just nodded in response.

"Anyway, we got to say goodbye, my mother and I. It was short and _so _painful, but it was better than nothing. I always remember him on his best." He leaned down and gently kissed her.

"I love you." He said as he caressed her cheek and leaned down to press another kiss on her lips.

"I love you too." Juliana responded softly when they pulled away, her hand over his. She sighed one more time and then brightened again. "We need to prepare the table, let's go."

The meal was gigantic. All the people that greeted him on his first day were back, as warm and nice as then. When it was finally Christmas, everyone hugged and kissed each other. Because Severus had never been part of something like that, he didn't know very well how to react, but thankfully Juliana was there to save him.

"Let's go outside." She whispered in his ear. He nodded followed her to the door, where they were stopped by Teresa.

"**Can I come?**" She asked looking up at them with expectant eyes. Juliana let out a giggle and looked at Severus.

"She wants to come." She said to him. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders with a small smile. Juliana nodded to Teresa and held her hand out for the little girl to take. She shook her head and raised her arms.

"**You want me to pick you up? Jesus Christ, you're getting too old for this.**" Juliana huffed and leaned down, but Teresa shook her head again and moved so her arms were pointing directly at Severus, making Juliana laugh loudly. "Oh my God. She wants _you_ to pick her up." She said to him, who opened his eyes wide. "If you don't, she'll cry silently and you'll feel bad. Believe me." He awkwardly picked up the kid, who instantly laid her head on his shoulder and put her arms around his neck. Juliana had to bit her lip hard to stop the laugh threatening to come out.

"She's in love with you." She said after walking on the beach for a while. "And she is also asleep." Severus looked down to see that Teresa had indeed fallen asleep with her head resting on his chest.

"You look so cute together." Juliana said absentmindedly. "Imagine if I'd brought my camera. Would you be mad if I took a picture of you right now?" She asked with a teasing smile and he jokingly narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind. Too bad you didn't bring your camera." He answered smugly.

"Hmm, true." She said and he kept walking, not noticing that she hadn't followed until a flash of light startled him. There stood Juliana, camera on her hands, and a wide grin on her face.

"I should have known you were going to get it." He answered rolling his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting up. Juliana ignored him and looked at the picture now becoming clearer, smiling widely at the way it turned out.

"This one will be amazing for the—" She began to say excitedly but stopped herself suddenly, as if she was about to say something she shouldn't. "—box where I keep all my pictures." She finished lamely and Severus raised one eyebrow at her. She dismissed him and shook her head. "Merry Christmas, Severus." She said, leaning to kiss him without waking Teresa up.

"Merry Christmas, love." He replied returning the kiss.

...

New Year ended up being similar to Christmas, except there was an amazing fireworks display and once the countdown reached zero, Juliana grabbed his face and kissed him hard on the mouth.

However, later that night when he they were already on bed, he couldn't help but feel sadness overcoming him. She noticed instantly.

"What's wrong?" Juliana asked turning around to face him.

"It's our last day here. I will miss this." Severus replied with a sigh. She frowned sadly and hugged him close, running her fingers through his hair like she knew he loved.

"We are going to keep doing this, Severus. This was just the beginning." He didn't meet her eyes but she was able to see a small smile curving his lips. She moved her hand to his cheek and pulled his face up to make him look at her. He glanced at her mouth and leaned down to press a soft kiss on her closed lips.

"Your hair got really dry." She said after a while of comfortable silence. "It must've been the sea water."

"Do you like it better when it's not greasy and disgusting?" He asked playfully. With the help of Juliana, he had learned to not care about the way his hair looked, mostly because _she_ didn't really care.

"Well, even though I like your hair as it is... this style kind of makes you look hotter." He threw his head back and laughed.

"_Hotter_? Really?" She nodded eagerly and laughed too.

"Super hot." He shook his head with a smile before kissing her one more time, finally allowing themselves to fall asleep.


	9. VIII: Fidelity

**Ahoy my darlings! ****Nope, that doesn't work.**

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><strong>**Ok, yes, maybe I'm overreacting a tiny bit but honestly! You are awesome! Thank you so much for reviewing and also for the follow!**

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><p><strong>VIII<strong>_  
>Fidelity<em>

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><p>The next morning Severus woke up to find himself alone in the bed. He frowned; Juliana normally fell asleep before him and woke up after. He went to the bathroom expecting to find it occupied by her, but it was empty. He got dressed quickly and decided to look for her downstairs.<p>

The absolute silence in the house was a bit unsettling, but he just kept on moving towards the kitchen. A loud scream of _Surprise! _was heard once he walked through the door, and he was greeted by a big poster hanging on the wall that said _"HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY SEVERUS". _On the table was a big cake with the same words written on it. Thankfully, this time Juliana's entire family wasn't there to greet him; instead there was only her, her mother, her aunt Laura with her husband Henry, and little Teresa.

He quickly realized he'd been just standing there, not moving and completely silent. He opened his mouth but no words would come out, no matter how hard he wanted to speak. He just didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to act. The situation was overwhelming; he wouldn't have expected something like this in a million years. Juliana noticed how anxious he was feeling and walked to stand in front of him, making sure he only focused on her. She pecked his lips and hugged him tightly, her mouth moving to his right ear. He returned the hug and buried his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes tightly.

"You know we leave tomorrow, so this was our last chance to celebrate your birthday properly. I thought that we should do this and surprise you. Are you feeling okay? If you're not, you don't have to stay. Just tell me." She whispered gently.

"It's perfect. I love you so much." He answered, his voice a bit muffled because of his position. They pulled away and were greeted by Juliana's family looking at them like they were two cute puppies. Juliana held his hand and squeezed, showing her support. He took a deep breath and started talking.

"I—" He struggled to speak so she held his hand tighter. "I really don't know what to say. Thank you so much, no one ever did something like this for me." Just as he said this, he felt something poking his leg. When he looked down, he realized that something was actually _someone, _and that someone was Teresa.

She motioned him to come down with her little hand and he kneeled. She grabbed his hand and pulled something from her pocket. It was a bracelet, and it looked like she'd made it herself.

"**Happy birthday.**" She said as put it on his hand before hugging him. He was taken by surprise so he didn't know what to do, but after a moment he reacted and hugged her back. He saw a bright light and when he looked up, Juliana was smiling wide with her camera on her hands.

"Can you tell her I love it?" Severus told her with a smile. She grinned wide and nodded, leaning down to speak to Teresa.

"**Severus says he loves it, and thank you.**" The little girl beamed at him and scurried away.

"She's head over heels in love with you." Juliana said in a singsong voice, laughing when he rolled his eyes at her.

…

Severus had an amazing last day at Juliana's house, and once they were lying in bed together ready to get a full night's rest for tomorrow, he decided he needed to talk to her.

"Juliana?" He whispered, careful to not wake her in case she was sleeping. She had her back pressed against his chest, so she turned around to see his face.

"Yeah?" She whispered, and he noticed she'd been on the verge of falling asleep.

"I've been thinking a lot about this, and I've decided that I have to tell you what's on my mind because you need to know it." She raised one eyebrow and nodded, motioning him to go on. "I wanted to thank you for doing all of this for me, for us. I know there are days when I have a hard time showing you how I feel but you need to know that I love you. I love you so much that sometimes I wonder if all of this is really happening; if it's true that you're in love with me and we're together. And you need to know that I have _never _felt what I feel for you for _anyone_ else." Juliana was already tearing up but with that she looked at him surprised. His last words held an extremely heavy meaning for her.

"Are— are you sure?" She asked, her voice shaking with emotion. He nodded seriously.

"Merlin, yes. I love you more than anything." He replied. She held his gaze for a few moments before pulling him to her, kissing him with passion before moving to straddle him.

"**I love you even more.**" She whispered in his ear enjoying the way his body tensed with arousal, before joining their lips in a hungry kiss.

...

The goodbye was a warm one, with Isabel telling him how much she loved to meet him and how much she expected him to come back; with Teresa trying to hide her tears, which earned her a kiss on the cheek by Severus that made her smile, and her parents telling him it had been a pleasure to know him.

Before they realized it, they were already back on the cottage. It was very cold, and reality hit Severus on the face like a ton of bricks. The past two weeks had been a gift from heaven, but now everything would be the same again. Juliana noticed the change on his mood immediately as usual, so she walked to him and hugged him tightly.

"_We will_ _be back._" She assured. He just smiled sadly and kissed her hair. "Now, how about a bath? And before you ask, that's definitely an invitation."

...

"Okay." Juliana said as she put her coat on. "I will call two cabs. I will get down on Kings Cross and you wherever you want. Just make sure it's a wizard free place." He nodded and she grabbed the phone.

Twenty minutes later, two cars were waiting for them outside.

"I'll see you soon. I love you." She said kissing him with all she had before opening the door and walking to her car. He closed it behind him and did the same.

...

This time he didn't have the bad luck to see Black, and boarded the train with no problems. He found an empty compartment and sat with a sigh. Hours later, he was joined by someone.

"Avery." He said with a nod.

"Severus." He said suspiciously. "Have you been under the sun? You don't look so pale." Severus inner alarms went off immediately, but his face did not betray him.

"I had work to do this holiday." He said without implying anything, but Avery— being the Dark Lord fanatic he was— instantly thought he was talking about Voldemort.

"I understand. I had work to do, too." He said with a dark smile. Then he chose to remain silent for a while, apparently thinking about what he was going to say next. "You already know what you are doing after school, right Severus? I mean... potions are always needed, and with a skill like yours... Many doors could be opened if you knew the right people to talk to. I, myself, have many connections." Severus narrowed his eyes at him.

"What are you looking for here, Avery?" He asked impatiently but carefully.

"Ah! I believe we both know the answer to that question. I know you are good, I can imagine how pleased _He _would be if I brought to him someone as skilled as you to serve his cause." The hair on Severus' neck stood up. "You do know where your loyalties lay, don't you, Severus? It would be a shame for the Slytherin house if someone betrayed us, and everyone knows you had quite the relationship with that disgusting mudblood before. We wouldn't want you to make any mistakes like that again, wouldn't we?" He asked, playing with the wand on his hands. Severus jaw was set, but he knew he couldn't say anything. Evil things were said about Avery and about his father, and all of them were true. If he decided to murder Severus right there, he was probably going to get away with it. So he just nodded and answered with the truth.

"I always know where my loyalties lay."

...

Severus was having a tough week. Exams were coming up and both he and Juliana were studying hard, so they didn't see each other as much as they wanted to.

The night before his birthday he went to bed early. He was moody and didn't want to be disturbed. No one but Juliana (and _her_) knew it was his birthday, and even if they did, they wouldn't even bother to say anything to him.

He fell asleep remembering the surprise party Juliana had given him, wishing she was there to keep him company.

At some point during the night, he turned on his bed only to be awoken by something hard on his back. He rose immediately and lit up the bed with his wand. He didn't care about anyone seeing, his drapes where always closed and had a charm on them.

On his bed was a box with a small envelope on top that read _Severus. _He recognized the handwriting in a second. He opened it to find a little letter inside.

_I hope you like it. Don't worry about anyone seeing it; it's heavily enchanted, like this letter. Don't destroy it._  
><em>Happy birthday<em>  
><em>I love you more<em>

_J._

He opened the box to find a rather fat brown photo album, with an _S_ and a _J_ written on silver letters. He already knew what was inside, but that didn't keep him from being surprised.

There were so many pictures he didn't even know she had taken, and they were all amazing. This was the best gift she could give him. This was a way to make him see that everything that had happened wasn't a dream.

The good memories were all real.

_No... I love you more,_ he thought.

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><p><strong>Got a little time? Maybe leave a review? <strong>


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